The power of play in the absence of language: Bridging language barriers for EAL children
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This episode is sponsored by Learniture - Experts in the design of educational furniture for settings and schools who recognise that learning environments can positively impact achievement. To find out more about Learniture, visit www.learniture.co.uk) For 10% off our conference tickets visit: www.)thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2024/. ) If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like: Tricia Mohamed's episode on: The skill of observation -www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-skill-of-observation) Let's flip practice on its head - instead of a 'language rich environment', how about we have an environment which doesn't rely on language? Angelica has a conversation with Marlis Juerging-Coles who gives us a different perspective on language, and really challenges common practices. Take a look below at all of the thought-provoking points addressed in this episode... Episode breakdown:  01:27 - Three common factors in supporting language 02:55 - Language is our social currency 05:05 - Should we use the child's first language in settings? 12:54 - Tokenism and cultural differences 17:00 - An environment that doesn't rely on language 20:17 - No child has chosen to be at your setting 25:50 - Does it matter if children don't use English? 28:40 - Achieving deep level learning 32:27 - Creating an environment which doesn't rely on language 36:30 - Don't be too quick to make changes... 39:00 - Involving children in constructing their environment 43:00 - Getting to know and respecting families' preferences 48:40 - Reflection and asking questions is not a negative 51:37 - What would you say to Ofsted? Read Marlis' article and find out more on The Voice of Early Childhood website: www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com)